This is a wise and sane course. As a gay woman in my late 60s I have personally been offended by the attitudes of very young Trans kids who have no clue what others went through before them and whom they make assumptions about and whose movement they co-opted in some ways. Most gay people have ZERO gender identity issues, and the connection feels false. I have much empathy but also much Anger about the way the T has been added, without the consent of the LG community! We are not a collection of letters, and our identities are also unique and not necessarily wholly connected to the Trans community. I resent being asked my pronouns and being given a label ("cis") which to me is an insult. No thought was given, frankly, to how many decades gay people people fought and how we did it. Also, I fear the inadvertant harm to gay kids who are confused and exploring, who are now frequently being told they must be Trans. Don't be like Trump in Iran!!! Tread carefully and thoughtfully and listen to others. I wish everyone peace, but that has not been to nature of the Trans movement I've seen! I can't even safely go into a gay bar these days, and gay people and the Democratic party have lost important ground as the radical and rigid Trans movement ate away at years of progress. Stop vilifying people who can't accept you--yet! It takes time and tolerance ON BOTH SIDES.
The Democratic party must take a definitive and unambiguous position on the plight of trans people and eliminate the Republican party's use of this as a wedge issue. First, it must separate human rights issues from social issues. That is, trans people must have the same fundamental rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" as everyone else. That includes being able to marry whomever you want. Second, the Democratic party must agree that if you were born XY, you cannot compete in female sports at any level, regardless of any medical procedure. Third, the Democratic party must develop a position on whether there should be a minimum age to begin a transition. This last issue is undoubtedly the most controversial for trans advocates, but it is at the point of the wedge.
It's wise to focus trans advocacy on basic human rights like, housing, employment, education, etc. Especially because literally none of the state and federal "bans" restrict or impinge on these basic rights. You correctly note that the electorate is not in favor of youth transition or MTF trans people in the girl's/women's sports category or opposite sex bath and locker rooms. And as of where we stand now, I do not think these issues will ever have majority support. Trans folks probably need to take a deep breath and accept that most of the world believes and always will believe that sex is binary and immutable and that it is not possible to change sexes. The vast majority believes that sex segregation in some areas of life is necessary to protect women's rights, safety and security and to maintain the general quality of life, especially for women. I think it is also time to stop trying to "cancel" opponents like JK Rowling or insist on "no debate". Rowling is not going anywhere and the "debate" is here and it is raging. Might be better to try to focus on core issues as you have suggested and step back from the rest. The world isn't going to "catch up" with you. The rest of the world does not believe the things you believe and almost certainly never will. That's OK. Minority world views can and do thrive in a pluralistic world, but it means those who hold them have to reconcile themselves to who and what they are relative to everybody else. Cheers!
This is a wise and sane course. As a gay woman in my late 60s I have personally been offended by the attitudes of very young Trans kids who have no clue what others went through before them and whom they make assumptions about and whose movement they co-opted in some ways. Most gay people have ZERO gender identity issues, and the connection feels false. I have much empathy but also much Anger about the way the T has been added, without the consent of the LG community! We are not a collection of letters, and our identities are also unique and not necessarily wholly connected to the Trans community. I resent being asked my pronouns and being given a label ("cis") which to me is an insult. No thought was given, frankly, to how many decades gay people people fought and how we did it. Also, I fear the inadvertant harm to gay kids who are confused and exploring, who are now frequently being told they must be Trans. Don't be like Trump in Iran!!! Tread carefully and thoughtfully and listen to others. I wish everyone peace, but that has not been to nature of the Trans movement I've seen! I can't even safely go into a gay bar these days, and gay people and the Democratic party have lost important ground as the radical and rigid Trans movement ate away at years of progress. Stop vilifying people who can't accept you--yet! It takes time and tolerance ON BOTH SIDES.
The Democratic party must take a definitive and unambiguous position on the plight of trans people and eliminate the Republican party's use of this as a wedge issue. First, it must separate human rights issues from social issues. That is, trans people must have the same fundamental rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" as everyone else. That includes being able to marry whomever you want. Second, the Democratic party must agree that if you were born XY, you cannot compete in female sports at any level, regardless of any medical procedure. Third, the Democratic party must develop a position on whether there should be a minimum age to begin a transition. This last issue is undoubtedly the most controversial for trans advocates, but it is at the point of the wedge.
It's wise to focus trans advocacy on basic human rights like, housing, employment, education, etc. Especially because literally none of the state and federal "bans" restrict or impinge on these basic rights. You correctly note that the electorate is not in favor of youth transition or MTF trans people in the girl's/women's sports category or opposite sex bath and locker rooms. And as of where we stand now, I do not think these issues will ever have majority support. Trans folks probably need to take a deep breath and accept that most of the world believes and always will believe that sex is binary and immutable and that it is not possible to change sexes. The vast majority believes that sex segregation in some areas of life is necessary to protect women's rights, safety and security and to maintain the general quality of life, especially for women. I think it is also time to stop trying to "cancel" opponents like JK Rowling or insist on "no debate". Rowling is not going anywhere and the "debate" is here and it is raging. Might be better to try to focus on core issues as you have suggested and step back from the rest. The world isn't going to "catch up" with you. The rest of the world does not believe the things you believe and almost certainly never will. That's OK. Minority world views can and do thrive in a pluralistic world, but it means those who hold them have to reconcile themselves to who and what they are relative to everybody else. Cheers!